The first fully Australian-made rocket, Eris-1, just crashed back to Earth 14 seconds after taking off. The launch was the country's first attempted orbital flight in almost 54 years.
On Tuesday (July 29), at 8:35 a.m. local time (6:35 p.m. ET), the private Australian company Gilmour Space Technologies launched the first of its Eris-class rockets from Bowen Orbital Spaceport in coastal Queensland. However, just 23 seconds after the rocket ignited its engines and only 14 seconds after liftoff, the spacecraft was back on the ground.
